YouTube to Fact-Check Certain Types of Searches

YouTube to Fact-Check Certain Types of Searches

YouTube is testing a fake content monitoring feature in India that pops up a “fact check” alert on searches for sensitive content. The fact check panels will automatically debunk false claims by pulling information from those third-party sites.

The feature will also highlight additional information on the subject from verified fact-checking partners of the platform.

With nearly 250 million users and cheapest data plans in the world, India is one of YouTube’s largest markets. Hence the new feature is being tested for search queries prone to misinformation in both Hindi and English languages.

Videos with misinformation will still appear in search results. So the fact-check panels are more of a warning to let users know what they’re getting into. YouTube cannot outright remove content that spreads misinformation unless it also violates the platform’s community guidelines.

The fact check panels are designed to keep users more informed and not prevent them from being able to access content.